The Last Real Superhero
by pirate88
Summary: Misti doesn't exactly fit the superhero mold and she is happy to leave it that way. Her powers are not a blessing...but a curse. Through her adventures, she will try to find her true place and discover what being a superhero really means...
1. Seeing Things Differently

**Hey FicFans! Just thought I'd try something new! Hope you all enjoy! If you have trouble following this first chapter, don't worry! That's the way it's supposed to be! Hope this gets you all curious enough to want more! Leave a reveiw and let me know!**

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Blind as a bat. She had never really stopped to think about that phrase before. She knew, of course, that bats were not actually blind…they just saw things differently. The end of her cane clicked on the sidewalk as she traversed the bustling streets of Pentopolis. The breeze, which today was in her face, brought with it the sounds and smells that she had come to know better than she ever had when she had been able to see. Her destination was nearing as she began to pick up the aroma of fresh ground coffee and steamed milk. The cacophony of patrons each ordering their own double shot, half-caff, venti, whatevers was audible from where she was right now…at least, it was audible to her. She had always thought that the whole losing one sense and gaining two more was a crock. She didn't think that anymore. The noise grew and she knew that she was there. She hung a left into the Starbucks and waited for him to call her name.

"Misti!" he called right on cue. She couldn't ever help, but smile at his promptness. It seemed as though they were made for each other. He was never late and…well…she usually was. God forbid the situation was ever reversed leaving her standing there all day waiting for him to call her. She began walking towards his voice, hand stretched out slightly, but not too dramatically. If there was one part she hated about being blind, it was _looking_ blind. Odd it seemed for someone who couldn't usually see to worry about looks, but it was inevitable. She chalked it up to being a "girl thing".

Surely as always, her hand was taken and he led her to the table where her coffee was already waiting for her. She lifted the lid off and breathed deeply the thick aroma of…white chocolate? Not again…

"Forget to shut the blinds last night?" he asked, and she knew that he had that damn smirk on his face. In reality, it had been years since she had actually _seen_ him smirk. Sometimes she would just sit and try to remember what he looked like. She had some idea, for if it was dark she could see him slightly, but not perfectly. It had been a long time since she had really seen him in any kind of light and it was likely that she never would again. Her memory served her well to tell her that Jimmy was tall and pretty well put together. He had dark brown hair that he usually kept pretty short. They had been friends ever since they were little kids and they had been going for coffee every Friday morning ever since they were thirteen. She knew him better than anyone and she knew damn well when he was making fun of her. She knew well the infamous smirk.

The reason she was blind today was because the first thing she had seen this morning was the sunrise. One glimpse at the sun would leave her like this for the entire day, sometimes more. Damn her for being so forgetful. She had always been such, but never did she think it would be so vital that she wasn't.

"Yes. Don't change the subject, what is this?" she said pointing at the coffee.

"It's your coffee." He said, still smirking.

"I can see that, smart ass. What's in it?" she asked, leaning back.

"You can _see_ that, can you?" he asked, growing more and more cocky by the second.

"Shut up." She said, growing more pissed as he grew more jovial. He chuckled slightly as he let her stew for a moment.

"White chocolate." He said, at last.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed slapping her palm on the table.

"Then why'd you ask?" he asked.

"I just wanted you to say it. Why you gotta do that to me, Jimmy, huh? I've been drinking the same coffee since I was thirteen years old." She said, leaning back again.

"That's why. You gotta switch it up once in a while, Mist." He said. Misti shrugged.

"Why? Why is everyone so obsessed with avoiding routine? I like routine! I like waking up and saying 'oh, today is my coffee day with Jimmy'. I like order, I like structure, and damn it, I like caramel!" she said.

"Sounds like you depend on routine." He said.

"Damn right, I do. If I didn't have a routine, I wouldn't make on these days." She said, gesturing at the dark glasses. She lifted the steaming cup to her lips and took a sip to find that she did, in fact, like white chocolate…not that she would ever tell Jimmy that.

The sounds of the Starbucks were always soothing to her. To some it could be described as a commotion or a ruckus, but to her it was somehow peaceful. The clattering of metal as the espresso cups fell into the sink, the register bell ringing with each new sale, twenty other conversations happening at once. It would have been enough to drive some people mad, but not her. This was where she felt most comfortable. This was where she was happy.

"You know what I was just thinking about the other day. It really sucks that Batman kinda stole your thunder." Jimmy pointed out. Misti shook her head. She would only be ready for Jimmy's brand of small talk _after_ she had finished her coffee.

"What?" she asked, finishing another sip.

"Well, having the bat superpowers…it's already sorta taken, you know?" he said.

"There'd better be no one sitting near us, Jimmy." Misti warned.

"Do you think I am an idiot?" he asked. Misti cocked her head to one side and tried not to smile. He smiled back.

"No, no one can hear us." He said.

"Great." She replied, taking another sip of coffee. There was a short pause before Jimmy piped up again.

"You didn't answer my question." He said. Misti shook her head.

"What was it again?" she asked.

"Are you jealous of Batman?" he asked. Misti shook her head again.

"When do you have time to come up with this stuff?" she asked.

"Are you?" Jimmy pressed.

"Jimmy, Batman isn't real. He's a comic book character." Misti said to Jimmy in the same tone as a parent telling their child about Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy.

"But don't you hate it when the papers call you 'Batgirl'? Don't you feel like your just sort of second banana?" he asked.

"Okay, 'A' I couldn't care less what the papers call me and 'B' I could never feel like a second banana to a made up character that barely even constitutes a superhero." She said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know what I mean." She said, preparing for the debate that they had a few times before.

"Are you saying that Batman isn't a superhero?" he asked.

"I am saying that Batman is just a rich dickweed, with a chip on his shoulder." Misti replied, challenging Jimmy to the duel.

"The man fights all the crime in a whole damn city without any powers." Jimmy argued.

"Okay, so he's a hero. Not a _super_hero though." She pointed out.

"He can jump off of a building and fly!" Jimmy stated.

"You know who else can do that without paying a billion dollars for it?" She asked, vaguely gesturing at herself.

"The man stays up all night fighting crime and then runs his billion dollar corporation all day." Jimmy said. Misti smiled as she prepared to drop the bomb. This was her all-powerful trump card and she was ready to be done with this for the day.

"Bruce! His name…is Bruce." She said, shooting Jimmy a smirk of her own. Jimmy tightened his lips for a moment and then slumped over his coffee.

"Damn it." He said under his breath. Misti chuckled slightly.

"So, I take it you're not jealous of him." Jimmy said after a beat. Misti sighed.

"Wrong again, Jim." She said, with a slight sadness in her voice. He looked at her quizzically.

"What?" he asked.

"I am jealous of him. I'm jealous because Bruce Wayne could put a mask on and be Batman. Then he could take it off just as easily and just be Bruce Wayne. I have a mask, Jim, but whether it's on or off, I'm still Batgirl. Some parts of her can't hang in a closet." She said, shifting in her seat to take the pressure off her back. She was lucky that Pentopolis was cold as often as it was. It gave her the advantage of being able to wear puffy coats and hoodies to hide her secret. Jimmy looked at her and wished for once that she could see him. His eyes would have told her how sorry he was.

"Aw, Mist. I'm sorry." He said.

"Don't worry, Jimmy. All just a part of it I guess." She said, very matter-of-factly.

"Being a superhero?" he asked.

"Don't call me that." She said.

"Why? Is that like some kind of racial slur?" he asked.

"No. I just don't like it." She said.

"Why not? If I had what you have, I'd want everyone to know how super I was." He said.

"Superheroes save people because they feel like they owe them or that they're obligated to protect them. I don't owe anyone a damn thing." She said, running her fingers over the cardboard coffee-coat.

"You're right. But why help people then?" he asked.

"Because they need help." Misti said, simply. And that was the only reason she needed. She had been wronged terribly, but when she was, she became different. She didn't feel obligated to help anybody, but at the same time, she knew it was right…and she knew she could…so she did. That was all.

"You're really something, Mist." He said.

"I am, aren't I?" she joked flashing a mock-pride pose. Jimmy laughed. They both chatted for a while longer before they finished their drinks.

"Walk you home?" Jimmy asked.

"Sure. Thanks." She said as they stood up. Misti put her hand on Jimmy's shoulder and they walked out of the shop. They talked on the way to Misti's apartment about anything and everything. It _was_ what best friends often talked about after all. After the short walk, they were at the stoop of Misti's apartment building. She turned to him and hugged him goodbye.

"Good to see you, Jim." She said, unfolding her cane. There was a small dead space as Jimmy grinned. She laughed then as she realized why.

"You know what I mean." She said, through the chuckle.

"See you soon, Mist." He said.

"Bye, Jimmy." She said walking in the front door. She ran her fingers over the doorframes as she reached her hall. One, two, three, four, five…She wondered what kind of a night she would have tonight. Friday nights could go either way. Sometimes, people were resting up for a bumpin' Saturday night. Other times, they ran the two-night marathon. In any case, she would be ready just as long as she got a hot meal and a good nap. Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen. She put her key into the keyhole and was just as relieved that she had gotten the right room as she had been the first time she had done this blind. She walked in and could feel that it was dark. Her apartment was a considerably different temperature as the hallway. This kitchen of her apartment was modest, but it got her through the day. It seemed as though this was a bacon and eggs kind of afternoon. She rummaged through the fridge and found both packages very quickly. It was funny for her to think about seeing itself. If she could see this kitchen perfectly, she would not be able to find a thing, but blind, she could whip up two scrambled eggs and bacon in five minutes flat. She did so and walked out into her living room to sit on the couch. Her iPod was right where she left it and she popped the earbuds in the second she was seated. Tom Petty sounded like the ticket to her and so it was Tom Petty that would be accompanying her lunch today. She just ate and relaxed as she did any other Friday afternoon. She didn't have any classes today and it was a good thing that she didn't. Her Friday nights _did_ occasionally get busy. As her plate became clean, she bid adieu to Petty and decided to get some sleep. She took her hoodie and her socks off and reached for the blanket that was folded over the back of the couch. She rested the pillow up against one of the arms and laid her head upon it. The blanket covered her and she was warm and comfortable. Slowly but surely, she drifted off to sleep wondering what darkness this night would bring.

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_"You only get the food if you take the pill." Dr. Kuzimura said to her calmly. She only glared at him through the bars._

_"Don't make us do this again, Girl."_ _The Doctor said as the two behemoth orderlies came up behind him, one bearing the ever-familiar syringe. She looked at the syringe with only slight fear. She knew what was about to happen. Her pride was her undoing. She would fight…she would lose…just what had happened hundreds of times before._

_"So be it." The Doctor said and the two giants rushed into the cell. She could always get a few good shots in and those were what kept her sane. However, it was only a matter of time before that one shot of theirs hit its mark rendering her helpless. This time, it came in the form of a great bear hug that was like an iron vice. His one arm wrapped around her as his other hand held her head back, exposing her neck. She wriggled only slightly as she was unable to do much more than that. The other orderly walked up and squirted a small amount of the serum into the air, which landed on Misti as it came back down. She then felt the predictable sting that had somehow never grown old. She cried out slightly as the burning of the serum began as it always did. The orderly that held her released his grip and shoved her into the back corner of the cell roughly where she stood for a moment frozen as the burn continued. A groan escaped her lips as she slunk down to her knees leaning on the wall of bars for support. Finally, the pain subsided and she breathed heavily. The Doctor, who had been watching this turned to leave, the food bowl still in his hand._

_"W-wait." Misti managed. She had not eaten in a day and a half so she was not too prideful to remind him what he had in his hand. He looked at her with patronizing cruelty. He walked over to the cell and sat the bowl on the floor. Misti could see the steam rising from the bowl and her mouth watered. She knew that what was in the bowl was only food in the most literal sense of the word, but at this point, she would eat a living chicken without a second thought._

_"Next time, take the pill." Dr. Kuzimura said in the same monotone manner as he would use talking to anyone else. The instant he was gone from the room, Misti crawled quickly to the bars and reached towards the bowl. Oh no. It couldn't be. She reached as far as she could through the bars and could not touch the bowl. Her arm was about a centimeter short. Tears ran down her cheeks as she continued for a good half-hour to reach the bowl convinced that the next time would be the one…it never was. She screamed every expletive and slur she could think of at the little man who used her as a lab rat. She tried to lay on her back as the bumps reminded her that lab__**-**__bat__ might be more appropriate. _

_"Goddamn you, you son of a bitch! When I get out of here, you're gonna pay, you hear me! I'll kill you, you bastard! I'll _kill you!!" she finished as she sat straight up on the couch, having broken a small sweat. Her breaths were shallow and quick and the tears, which had fallen in the dream, were still there. She wiped them away quickly as if hiding them from someone who wasn't even there. She pulled her knees up and rested her elbows on them. She rubbed her eyes and then held her head in her hands.

"Oh, God…" she said, trying to forget the dream, yet knowing how ingrained the experience was. She knew in her heart of hearts, that the nightmares would never stop. Her head shot up as her cell rang on the coffeetable. She looked over at the table and found that she could see. If the call was what she thought it was, she was happy that her sight had returned.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Misti, Jimmy. We got a robbery on Tenth and Maine." He said, urgently.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"10:45." He answered.

"They're getting' an early start tonight, huh?" she asked as she rushed to her bedroom. She set the phone on speaker and tossed it onto her bed. The closet doors were flung open as she stripped off her jeans and t-shirt.

"How many are there?" she asked, as she undid the straps around her chest. She stretched her wings, which were sore, as she had forgotten to unstrap them after coffee this morning. She put on the tight black t-shirt that allowed her wings through the back and the next instant was jumping into her pants.

"Four." Jimmy said on the other end.

"Guns?" Misti asked as she strapped her boots. She reached for the Kevlar vest and strapped that on as well.

"Two shotguns, two autos and one Magnum." Jimmy rattled off. Misti grabbed her gun belt and strapped it around her waist.

"Good deal. Thanks, Jim." She said as she grabbed her jacket on the way out of the room.

"Good luck, Misti." He said. She walked quickly down the hallway knowing that a run would wake the neighbors. She kept her eyes shut as she put the jacket on and dug through the pocket once it was. Her sunglasses fit snuggly over her eyes, as she made sure that the buildings halogens would not disadvantage her this night. She climbed the stairs to the roof and looked over the city from forty stories up where could already hear the police sirens. Her wings spread wide and the silhouette of the last real superhero was seen for only a moment against the bright white moon. The heroic scene was gone as quickly as it had come as the one the newspapers called "Batgirl" leapt from the rooftop and caught a gust of wind. Only 10:45…it was going to be a long night.

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**So there it is everyone! Chapter one of "The Last Real Superhero"! Misti doesn't exactly fit the classic superhero mold, but through her struggles she might just find out what being a superhero really means. I hope you all are enjoying it so far, but if you're not, let me know how I can make it so you will! I am always open to suggestion! Thanks for reading and keep you're eyes open for more chapters of "The Last Real Superhero"!**


	2. Another Long Night

**Here it is peeps! Chapter 2 of the most college average rip roaring adventure EVER! Enjoy! :)**

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The door to her apartment opened roughly and slammed against the wall at nine o'clock Saturday morning. Her night had just finished and it was time to relax. She took the sunglasses off and slipped them back into the pocket where they always went. Her boots were kicked off by the door and the specialized Kevlar weave jacket was tossed haphazardly over the back of a chair. She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms and wings all in one motion before kicking her right leg up onto the back of the couch and reaching for her toes as she stretched it out as well. Somewhere between the convenience store robbery and the second mugging, she was sure she had pulled her hamstring. She walked wearily into her kitchen and opened up the freezer where the icepack was waiting right where it always was. Her breaths quickened for a moment as the thing touched her shoulder, but regained normality in only few seconds. The coffeemaker bubbled as it finished brewing a new pot of house blend, she poured herself a cup with her bad arm and carried it out to the living room where she was happy to plop down on the puffy couch. She inhaled deeply the aroma of the coffee and exhaled as much stress as humanly possible.

The apartment door flung open suddenly and Misti leapt over the back of the couch and stood in as threatening a pose as she could manage.

"Who's there?" she asked into the dark entryway of her apartment.

"Woah, woah!" said the dark figure.

"I said 'who's there'?!" she repeated reaching under couch cushion and pulling out the switchblade which she had there just in case.

"Easy, Mist! It's me!" Jimmy said. Misti sighed as she recognized the voice. She snapped the switch shut and shoved it back under the cushion.

"Have you decided against knocking, Jim?" she asked, collapsing back onto the couch.

"Have you decided against Bob Evans takeout?" he asked.

"Definitely not." She said, with a grin. Jimmy walked over to the coffee table and sat the bag down before setting himself down next to her on the couch. The bag opened with a crinkle as he pulled out her egg sandwich and handed it to her. He then got his own and began to eat it. And that was how they spent the mornings after a hard night's work. They just sat there in the dark apartment side by side and ate cheap breakfast food.

"So a little bit of rough one last night, huh?" Jimmy said.

"You're telling me." Misti replied.

"You seemed a little more tired that usual…was something wrong?" Jimmy asked.

"I didn't sleep great yesterday." She said, after swallowing another bite.

"Did you have another dream?" Jimmy asked, knowing her problem all too well. Misti nodded to herself.

"Yeah." She said softly.

"I'm sure they won't last forever, Mist." Jimmy said.

"It's been over two years, Jim. Who says they can't last forever?" she asked.

"Logic for one. Hope for another. You'll get past this, Mist. I know you will." Jimmy said.

"Thanks, Jimmy." She said. Her logic told her that the nightmares wouldn't ever stop, but hope told her they would. Right now, she didn't know what to believe.

"So you hear the reports yet this morning?" he asked.

"Not yet. I was _just_ sitting down when you came in." She said as she chewed another cheesy bite.

"It's still a little mixed." Jimmy said, with a frustrated tone,

"Still?" Misti questioned, disappointed.

"Well, it sounds like you've got the city on your side, but Mayor Jacobs says he can't morally or legally tolerate your 'vigilante justice'." Jimmy said.

"Well, my vigilante justice is better than his cops can do half the time." Misti said, angrily.

"I know, but what're you gonna do? We should just keep pluggin' until he changes his mind." Jimmy said.

"Yeah, I guess." Misti said.

"You hurt yourself?" Jimmy asked, noticing the icepack resting on her shoulder.

"Eh…I've had worse." She said with a shrug, brushing off Jimmy's concern.

"I believe that." Jimmy replied thinking back on how long they had been doing this.

"How much do I owe you for breakfast?" she asked popping the last bite in her mouth.

"Don't worry about it, Misti. You had a long night." He said. She had come to know that it was useless to argue with Jimmy when he wanted to treat her to something so she no longer even tried.

"Thanks, Jimmy." She said.

"Don't mention it." He replied.

"Does anyone have any ideas about who I am yet?" she asked. She always asked this question and every time the answer came back "no", but she always asked. She waited endlessly for the one time when the answer was yes.

"Not a clue. One guy called in to the radio today and said that he thinks you are a renegade acrobat from Russia." Jimmy said, without missing a beat. They had both definitely heard weirder. Misti laughed slightly still. It was funny for her to hear all these theories and know just how wrong they were. She would have been lying to say she didn't have fun doing what she did. When she would swoop through the sky and scare the hell out of a group of muggers or body-tackle a burglar who thought he could get away, it was a thrill to her. She was a living, breathing comic book character. To stay sane, she had to find joy in some part of her life. The change had been monumental and there were times when she wondered whether or not she could live out her days this way. Needing to strap wings down everyday, fighting crime and risking life and limb every weekend, needing to avoid all bright lights for fear of blindness, knowing that both her parents lived under the illusion that she was dead, and never knowing when one weekend adventure would be her last. Perhaps, she thought, _that_ was why she excelled so at her "second job". She truly did not care whether she lived or died…well almost. There was one thing that kept her from the total blackness of suicidal abyss and he sat next to her right now.

Jimmy and she had been best friends since grade school. He was the one person she trusted with her secret and one of the handful of people that knew Misti Davidson still walked the Earth. Through the thickest and thinnest, he had always been there to offer a warm hug or an equally warm breakfast. Never had he called her freak or rejected her out of fear. To him, she was still just Misti, that girl he met in grade school. It had been his idea, comic buff that he was, for Misti to start using her powers to battle the evils of Pentopolis and the rest was history. Her database complete with a ham-radio and radar more advanced than she could ever come up with, resided in his apartment so he could let her know the minute the action happened. And so, the team was born, and a team they had been for two and a half years.

"So have you still been writing in that diary?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah." Misti said.

"You ever gonna let me read it?" he pressed.

"I thought the point of a diary was that no one would ever read it." Misti pointed out.

"I just think…well…I might understand you better is all." He said. Misti stood from the couch and grabbed the bag from the coffee table.

"I'm not that complex, Jimmy. What you see is what you get." She said, crinkling the bag up and shooting a basketball shot towards the trash.

"I was…um, just with all you went through with…you know…" he said, tip-toeing around the subject. Misti turned quickly.

"Jimmy, the only people who know about what happened in that lab are me and those sadistic freaks that called themselves doctors. That's the way it's gonna stay! Get it?" she said, sounding slightly short with him.

"Got it." Said Jimmy, quickly. Misti sighed, and rubbed her eyes.

"God, I'm sorry, Jim. I…it's just that…it was all so…horrible. I don't want anyone else to experience that…not even secondhand, you know?" she said, sitting next to him again. He nodded.

"I understand. It's okay." He said. She knew that he truly meant what he said. They sat there for a moment without speaking. It was strange that neither of them felt awkwardness in silence. They could honestly just enjoy each other's company…and that was enough.

"Thanks again for breakfast." Misti said, after a while.

"Oh yeah, no problem. Consider it a 'thank you' from Pentopolis." Jimmy replied. Misti yawned as the sun began beat harder against the blinds.

"Hey, you must want some sleep." Jimmy said, slapping his knees and standing up.

"I wouldn't mind some." Misti said. Jimmy leaned down and gave her a hug.

"I'll let you get to it then. Good job last night." He said.

"You too, Dispatch." She said. He laughed as he stood up and made his way out of the dark apartment. As he felt his way along the walls, he thought about Misti's life and what it must be like when she could not see. He thought, perhaps, it would be less painful for her if she was completely blind. She could never completely get used to walking with a cane, because there were times when she didn't need it. She couldn't get used to fighting while seeing because in the likely event that she caught a flash of car headlights or a flashlight, she'd have to got the rest of the night blind. She seemed to overcome any of these challenges, but Jimmy pitied her for having them at all.

Misti sat on the couch as Jimmy left and thought about her life as it was today. All things considered, she was relatively happy. She had purpose, and excitement…and a friend. One true friend. That was more than many people could say, she knew. Her thoughts inevitably turned to a time not so happy.

_The lights glared at her as she stood there in what could barely be considered clothes. She had learned quickly not to move too far when she wore the electro-cuffs. If those things moved so much as a foot in any direction, she would feel it long enough to make her avoid moving again. The pedestal faced the light so she could not see their faces, but as the voices came, she would have guessed about ten men were examining her, guided by Kuzimura._

"…_And as you can see, by altering the DNA at the four fundamental locations we have manipulated the skin, muscle, bone, and nervous system to begin the creation of wings." Kuzimura said._

"_Will they be functional, Doctor?" asked one man._

"_By all calculations, yes, they will be functional." Kuzimura said._

"_Have there been any other changes in the subject?" asked another man, voice younger than the first._

"_You mean besides the overwhelming irritability?" Kuzimura said to a rabble of laughs. Misti looked up from her stare that had strictly been at her feet. She had generally learned when to keep her mouth shut. That ended up being almost always. Something about that comment though, lit some kind of spark. She saw Kuzimura standing there and, boy, was he ever close. Without thinking more than one step ahead, she leapt from the pedestal and threw her arms around him as the electricity from the cuffs flew through them both. No scream escaped her lips as she listened intently to his. The other doctors had scattered for fear of what she could do to them and the orderlies had hesitated themselves for fear of getting their own shock. They ran to the pedestal and deactivated the cuffs. Misti released her grip and let the little Doctor fall to the floor. In the next instant, the entire left side of her face burned and her vision tunneled. Her body crashed to the floor and for a moment, she saw the little Doctor from the same level. _

_She didn't fight now. She didn't speak or spit or struggle or swear. She just let the orderlies drag her roughly back to her cell. When they arrived, the giants were not concerned with her anymore, but getting back to the Doctor to check his condition. They tossed her into the cell as one would toss a sack of potatoes into storage and walked quickly away. Misti looked over her shoulder. What she saw when she looked back there never ceased to frighten her. With each passing week, they grew. With each passing month, they became more mobile. Just today…with nothing more than a brush with the brick wall of her cell…she could feel them. She looked over her shoulder and as she tried, she moved them as she would move and arm or a leg. She looked quickly forward and tried to pretend that this wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. This was the kind of thing she watched on Sci-Fi shows with Jimmy. Oh…Jimmy. She knew that she was dead to him. Kuzimura had let her see and even keep her obituary. "Entire Class Killed in Tragic Accident." The "accident" of course was nothing of the kind. Volatile chemicals in her chemistry lab had been triggered to explode during her class…right when she always got up to get a drink of water. The remains of her classmates were never recovered…but she was. They swooped in from nowhere and grabbed her and her life since had been hell. They had chosen her because of her physical strength and medical fortitude. She had always bragged that she had the immune system of that guy from "Unbreakable". She cursed that fact now. Sixteen years old and she could see her life flashing before her already. After spending nearly a year here, wherever "here" happened to be, she was sure that these months would be her last. Footsteps coming quickly down the hall brought her back. Kuzimura and the two orderlies came into view. Misti sat against the back of the cell._

_In the next instant, Misti thought her life was over. Through the bars, Kuzimura pointed a gun right at her and from this distance no one could miss. She didn't try to get out of the way. She wanted to. Her limbs, even those newly acquired, were frozen. He pulled the trigger the instant he was sure to hit her. Misty felt the impact in her stomach, but knew that the sound from the pistol had not been from a bullet. Her eyes shot to her stomach where she found a fairly large dart protruding. It hurt already and she dared not touch it for fear of hurting it worse. She only looked up at the three men with terror all over her face. Her breathing quickened as the familiar burn began, but this time it was different. It was shooting from pain to agony far quicker than ever before. A low cry escaped her, as she gripped her stomach still not willing to touch the dart._

"_You are in for a long night, Subject A3. We have kept your doses of the DNA alteration serum low because we still considered you a human being and therefore worthy of some small amount of decency. Tonight, you have proven us wrong." Kuzimura said in that same damn nothing-out-of-the-ordinary voice. She hated that voice and right now she hated everything about him._

"_Screw you!" Misti groaned through clenched teeth._

"_Goodnight, A3." Kuzimura said through the bars, and with that he disappeared. Misti rolled over and faced the wall as she finally jerked the dart out of her stomach. The burn would not be so easily stopped. A scream echoed down the corridor as Misti came to realize that she was truly in for a long night._

There was suddenly a knock on the door and Misti lifted her head. She must have dozed off.

"Just a sec!" she called as she reached for the hoodie, still slung over the arm of the couch from yesterday. She folded her wings under as best she could and walked to the door. Her visitor was likely Jimmy seeing as how the only other person who ever visited was the landlord. The disguise would fool anyone else. She opened the door to find that her suspicion was correct.

"I forgot my backpack." Jimmy said, with an embarrassed grin.

"Oh, come on in." Misti said moving aside. She walked to the kitchen and poured herself another cup of the coffee she had brewed earlier.

"You okay?" Jimmy asked as he slipped the backpack on.

"Yeah, why?" Misti asked.

"You seem a little…off." Jimmy pointed out.

"I just fell asleep. Looks like you were right." She said, with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm getting there myself, but I have a term paper to write." Jimmy said.

"Oh shit! So do I." Misti said, walking quickly over to her computer. She slipped the sunglasses on and looked at the screen before beginning to type furiously.

"When's it due?" Jimmy asked.

"Monday." Misti answered already distracted.

"You know, you could let Pentopolis go un-bat-patrolled tonight." Jimmy said.

"We'll see." She said, quickly. Jimmy rolled his eyes. Ever since they had begun doing this, she seemed to become more and more obsessed. Never did she want to take a night off. There were times when he considered simply not calling her, but he would then incur her wrath and that was a risk he was unwilling to take.

"I'll call you." Jimmy said as he made his way for the door.

"I'll be waiting!" Misti called after him. Misti's fingers flew over the keys as she churned out a term paper with her usual literary prowess. She was actually a very good writer and didn't really need to put much thought into it. The clock now read 10:15 AM. She should sleeping right now, but she had to keep up appearances. Misti Adams was an excellent student after all and that could not change. In the event that Misti ever was rid of her abnormality, she wanted to be sure that she had a real life to turn to. About two hours later the paper sat stapled pristinely on her countertop ready to be snagged on the way out on Monday. Only slightly past noon Misti collapsed onto her bed and pulled the blanket over her as she prepared her body for a Pentopolis Saturday night.

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**There you go y'all! Could there be something dark blending in to the darkness of Pentopolis? Something darker than the average burglar? Find out next time in "The Last Real Superhero".**


	3. Never Again

**Hey guys! Here is the latest chapter! I know I have been a little fuzzy on Misti's past before now...Yes, it was supposed to be that way. I hope this ties up at least a few loose ends! Enjoy!**

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TWO AND A HALF YEARS EARLIER…

Misti awoke as she always did. All of this had become very routine to her and today's routine included a shower. The shower was barely definable as such. It basically consisted of her stripping down to be sprayed for five minutes with a high-pressure hose. With all the work they did on her and all the forcible treatment they showed her, they at least wanted her not to smell like an animal. While she could say with confidence that she did not smell like an animal, she now looked like one. She had become only partially human.

She had lost track of how long she had been here. She no longer thought about her parents or Jimmy or the outside world. Her world was her cell. Her only companions were suffering and fear. Hope of ever getting out of here was all but gone. The wings on her back had grown enormous though she had never been permitted to use them, not that she would have even known how. By the day, her eyes grew more and more sensitive to the light until finally she was kept in almost complete darkness. Indicators like these were the only clues of how long she had been here.

"Remove clothes." Said the orderly in a gruff and heavily accented voice. Slight embarrassment in this act was not yet behind her but most sense of decency she had went out the window long ago. Plus, she knew that if she did not take off her clothes they would just be sprayed right along with her. She peeled her shirt off before stepping out of her pants and setting all the undergarments off to the side. She stood against the wall. The water hit her beginning in the face and working its way down her body forcing her against the wall as it went. Surely this hose had never been intended to be used on a person, but judging by the rest of the facility, it was the best they could do…or the best they were willing to try. As the water reached her feet, she turned in the familiar fashion as it began to work its way back up. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine that the hose was not a hose at all, but rather a waterfall under which she had just stepped. She imagined all around her forest and green growth adorned with a few flowers that were as big as her head. All around her was the secluded waterfall valley to which she had traveled to so many times. The hose cut off with a creak and as she opened her eyes, her paradise valley became the gray brick once more. The air chilled her as she stood there and crossed her arms. She shivered slightly as the giant orderly just stood there and watched. Misti looked over to the rack where the towels always were to find it empty.

"Where's my towel?" she asked, shakily.

"No towel. You stand." The giant replied. She looked down at the floor and avoided eye contact with him. The new orderlies would occasionally "forget" to leave a towel for her in the hope of a free show. She gave them very little in that respect for the one thing she had learned to do with her wings was cover up. This did make it take longer to get dry, but she was willing to make the trade-off as a gigantic middle finger to the pervert outside the spray cage. After about a half hour the man gave her permission to put her clothes back on to which she promptly obliged. She put her wrists through the bars so he could put the handcuffs on her. He walked close to the bars and began to put the cuffs on her, but in the next instant, she had taken a hold of his shirt and jerked him against the bars of the cage so his head hit the metal with a satisfying dong.

"Come on, Big Guy. Protocol! You never bring you body to within two feet of the cell." Misti said as the man held his forehead and groaned. He stood straighter as he shook his head. Misti stood there arms still through the bars and smiled.

"Now do it right this time." She said, cockily. The man walked over and slapped the cuffs on her wrists from further away this time.

"There you go." She said with just as much arrogance. The door swung open and the orderly took Misti by the arm and led her back to the cell. His grip was far tighter than it needed to be and Misti could tell that the man was furious. The cell neared and finally came. When it did, the orderly followed Misti into it. The next ten minutes made Misti wish she had not tempted this man. Misti cursed the invisible will her body seemed to have. Her pain threshold had always been high, but she wished she could pass out more than anything. The giant hulk towered over her as she gasped for air and groaned. He noticed her food bowl sitting there with a fresh supply of steaming slop inside. He punted the thing against the wall before giving Misti one last boot of her own. He crouched down and pushed her shoulder back so her body turned to face him.

"Never try again, Freak." The man said before rising and leaving the cell with a slammed door. Misti had held her tears until the man was gone and once he was, they poured. She looked sadly at her food splayed all over the wall of her cell. Her stomach growled and she sprang over to the wall and began scraping the food off with her fingers and eating it. Tears streamed down her face and her sobs made it difficult to swallow. That was it. No longer would she sit here and be a victim. She was nobody's freak.

Unbeknownst to her, nearly six months had passed since she had begun plotting her escape from this place. Every base had to be covered, every precaution had to be taken, every hitch and the ten beyond it had to be hashed out now lest she never get this chance again. They had it completely in their power to keep her under 24 hour watch which they had in the beginning and once in a while after she had found a weak point and gave an orderly what he had coming to him. It had been nearly six months since the last incident…far longer than she had ever gone before and thus the surveillance on her was at its most lax. She did not sleep at all the night before as she ran over the plot a good forty different ways in her head. Was she really ready for this? Maybe, maybe not…but she had to try. Whatever part of her that was still human had the urge to no long be an experiment, to live by her own code, and to be free. Whatever part of her that had become animal thirsted for revenge. She would see to it that both parts were satisfied.

The orderly came into the cell block as he always did and he had the bowl and the piece of bread in his hand. Lately, she had been so good that they had given her a stale piece of bread with her slop. She knew they'd forgive her for not thanking them. She sprang to the bars as she always did at mealtime and she reached through the gap in the bars for the bowl. As he handed it to her, she "accidentally" knocked the bread onto the floor. Instinctively, he bent down to pick it up for her. The instant she was close enough, she struck.

Her arms flew through the bars like two pythons and for the briefest few seconds, they were just as strong. One arm wrapped around then man's neck and her wrist was locked into place in her other hand. The man hit the bars with a clang and she held on as tightly as she could. The man wrenched and struggled in her grasp for a good three minutes before he finally stopped moving. By that time, Misti was exhausted. As her grip released she nearly fell backwards, but one saving reflex held her on her feet. She knelt at the bars reaching to the orderly's belt for his keys. She found them found them at his hip right where she knew they'd be. With a trembling hand, she unlocked the door of her cell and stepped out. A surge of emotions came over her, but she could not be overcome with emotion…not yet. She still had to find a way out. Her steps were quick and silent as she made her way down corridor after corridor searching for one of two things. She darted in and out of the shadows and finally came upon the option that she had been hoping to find nearly more than the exit. The great door has a black nameplate on it. It was so simple and thus all the more frightening. Tideki Kuzimura, PhD. The door opened with a soft creak as she made her way inside.

"One moment, Hyori. I am just finishing up this formula." He said, without turning in his chair. She just stood there and looked at him for a moment. No barrier stood between her and him. No boundary. No orderlies. Just her and him in a lonely room. Unable to control herself any longer, she lunged at him slamming her fist into the side of his face from behind. He only cried out slightly, but it all happened to quickly for him to register the need to call for help. By the time he realized what was happening, she was on top of him hitting him over and over at the peak of her strength. Blood covered her knuckles and spattered her arms as tears wet her cheeks. With each hit she uttered another sobbed word many of which were four-lettered. She could see that the good doctor was not hanging on by much when she noticed a large syringe on the desk. Much larger than he had ever used on her. Also on the desk was at lease a gallon of the serum she had come to know the appearance of all too well. She sprang to her feet and filled the syringe to its full capacity.

"We'll see how you like it, son of a bitch." She said to herself in a crazed stupor. The instant the thing was full she rammed it into his chest and slammed down on the plunger. From then on, it was merely a show. Misti would never be able to forget the way the doctor looked in his last moments. The way he twitched and thrashed about like an injured animal. His mouth foamed and his veins bulged as she knew his insides were being eaten away, just as had happened to her slowly over these past three and a half years. Finally, with one great thrust, the doctor fell limp and was no more. She just stood there and stared at him for a moment more. Suddenly, it all dawned on her. A wave of panic and sensibility that had been pursuing her seemed to catch up and hit her like a bullet. She looked down in horror at her hands and saw the color than matched Kuzimura's mangled face. Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps coming down the hallway. In a panic, she looked all around her and found not a single vent nor hiding place in the small office. She realized her only option.

The guard saw a dark figure burst from the office of Kuzimura with something hanging off it's back that looked sort of like a cape, but different at the same time.

"Hey!" he called after the shadowed figure, but by that time the thing had already darted around the corner. He proceeded to Kuzimura's office and hoped that this was not one of the nights he decided to work late. The door opened with a soft creak and the guard stumbled backwards away from the door. As he continued to stare at the mutilated body in pure shock, he was suddenly doubled over as he vomited. He squeezed the button on his radio and called dispatch.

"This is unit eight to control! Kuzimura's been murdered! Red alert! All alarms! Repeat, all alarms!" he frantically ordered.

The red lights flashed as Misti sprinted down the hallways. Suddenly, the siren began to wail and Misti fell to her knees crying out as her hands shot to her ears. The earsplitting sound made her head pound. The shouting of the guards as the rounded the last corner urged her to her feet and she was off again. She came upon the heavenly red glowing letters that spelled out her freedom and exploded through the door beneath it. Her steps stopped quickly as she looked forward at the tragedy that had befallen her. Her escaped had taken her to a balcony about forty feet above a wooded landscape. From the balcony she could see the distant lights of some unknown city, a heartbreaking signal of how close she had come to freedom.

"Hold it right there!" shouted a guard as the five of them formed a semi-circle around her, rifles poised. She froze.

"Come away from that rail or we'll open fire!" threatened one of them.

"Hold your fire! Sadasu will want her alive!" shouted another. Something about that lit a fire in her stomach that she'd not felt in many months. Something in her screamed that she would not be a part of this life any longer. She glanced over her shoulder.

"Come away from the rail, Girl. Nice and slow." Urged one guard gentler than the first two. Misti knew this gentility would only last until she had restraining cuffs on. Never again would she let it come to that. As she stood there and stared at them she knew that the ultimate decision had come…and she would sooner die.

With two quick steps, she had pushed off of the railing of the balcony and was in the air for what seemed like an eternity.

"Fire!" she heard from behind her from a voice that seemed to be miles away. Bullets whizzed by her as she fell for a moment, her eyes squeezed shut tight as she waited for the ground. The wind in her hair told her she was still falling, but the ground had not come. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found the tops of trees sweeping by about five feet underneath her. The sounds of bullets were still near and in the next instant she became abundantly aware of their presence. Her shoulder seemed to instantly burn as the round grazed it causing her to lose the delicate balance that kept her in the air. She crashed down through the tops of the trees sporadically being slowed by the wing which had now become merely something to catch on the branches. She hit the ground with a stale thud and only lay there for a moment groaning loudly. Suddenly it hurt to breathe and blood issued from her shoulder. She could have sworn she heard a snap as she hit the ground, but she could have been mistaken. The longer she lay there and the more the adrenaline wore off, the surer she was that she had indeed heard a snap. Her side throbbed and her shoulder was racked with pain. It crossed her mind to just lay here and wait for the guards to come get her. After all, they needed her alive. Without them she knew that she could die out here. But no. She would not go back to that lab. No one would ever control her like that again. No one. She forced herself to her feet and began to run as fast as her feet would take her towards the glowing lights of the city in the distance.

The city was so close. It only took her about twenty minutes to get there and another five to get into the heart of the city. First things first. She had to hide this freak show on her back. She came to a shop that seemed to have just the ticket. AS she peered through the window, she saw both a hardware section and an apparel section. There was only one problem. Not many shops are open at three in the morning which it was, unbeknownst to Misti. However, there was very little choice in the matter here. She walked into the alley and grabbed a trashcan. The thing flew through the window like a rock through a piece of tissue paper setting off another alarm. Had to be quick now. She ran through the store and snatched a length of rope from the hardware section and a black hoodie from the apparel section. This would do. She hurdled the two foot section of wall below the window and sprinted into an alley across the street. With the rope slung over her arm and the hoodie held in her teeth, she leapt up onto a dumpster and scaled a fire escape onto the roof of the brick building. She sat there as the police pulled up to the shop and began to assess the damage. Her wings were easier to control than she expected. It was almost as if it was second nature. She curled them up as best as she could, which was actually very well and held it there as she tied one section of the rope around her chest right under her arms and one lower, right at the top of her abs. It would work for now. She pulled the hoodie on over it all and crept once more to the edge of the roof. The cops had begun to dissipate and she crouched there and watched until they were gone. The fire escape brought her once again to ground level. She made her way quickly through the maze of dumpsters and buildings out onto the street once more. Her eyes darted all over the street and found that all the signs were in English. She looked down the street and saw a phone booth standing like a beacon on the dim sidewalk. Her legs couldn't carry her there fast enough. She obviously had no money to actually use the phone, but this would at least help. She stepped into the booth and her eyes began to burn and water from the light above her. As she reached down to the phonebook and looked at the cover, her jaw dropped…Pentopolis. This entire time, she had been only about thirty minutes from her own house. She fell back against the door of the booth and held her head in her hands. Her vision was nearly gone and she was barely any further than she had been after she escaped. With all her strength she yanked the phonebook away from the wall and it tore away. The surprising part was that the phonebook had not torn from the cord, but the cord from the wall. Not that she would have known because all she was doing right now was finding a dark place to wait for her vision to come back. She stumbled from the booth and found her way blindly into another alley beside a large dumpster. Her knees pulled to her chest, phonebook safely hugged between, she just sat there in the most frightening darkness she had ever known running her fingers nervously over the brick wall behind her.

She had no idea what to do. If she went home, someone would find out and her family would be in danger. Besides, they thought she was dead. To show up now considering the…changes, would be unpredictable. The shock could do more harm than good. There was only one other person in the world that she felt like she could turn to. Her vision was at least enough to see the pages now and she scanned them for his name. Perhaps, by now he had struck out on his own. There! Killian, James. 1412 Thomas Ave. Apartment 12C. She flipped to the back of the phonebook where she found the map of Pentopolis. Looking at the map for only a few seconds, she realized that she was only blocks from where Jimmy must be living. The alleyways were her playground as she began making her way nearer to Thomas Avenue.

It barely took her five minutes before she was standing on the front stoop looking indecisively at the front door. What now? She couldn't just ring the buzzer and say "Hey, it's Misti. You know. The dead one." Another alley called to her and she walked around the side of the building to the fire escape. The dumpster was pushed against the wall of the building and the fire escape was only about a meter above that. Misti climbed the fire escape quickly and made her way three stories up. She realized that all she had to do was make it into the building and _then_ make her way to Jimmy's apartment so whichever window she picked was meaningless. The first window she came to was locked as was the second, but the third time turned out to be the charm. It slid quietly in the frame and she slipped inside with as much grace as she could manage. The room she had slipped into was apparently a kitchen and thus the worst place to have entered when decibels had to be kept to a minimum. She could actually see fairly well, but sneakiness had never bee her strong suit. After she had left the kitchen, she turned the corner into the hall and slammed into a small table which fell over with a huge crash and her along with it. She looked up and saw a man flying around the corner with a baseball bat.

"You picked the wrong apartment, Asshole!" the man exclaimed swinging the bat at her wildly. As she scrambled to her feet, she managed to duck under a blow and back out of the way of one right behind it. Her voice seemed to be ripped away from her throat as she tried desperately to say something…anything to make this man stop, but why should he? She was an intruder in _his_ home and he was only defending it. Her journey which had brought her so far would find her killed as a common criminal. She staggered backwards dodging swing after swing finally as her back hit the wall she found it impossible to avoid one that hit her squarely in the ribs knocking all the air from her chest. She fell to her knees clutching her side which she was sure now contained broken bones. The man looked down at her with hesitation. Hearing her cry had brought him to discover that she was a woman. It wouldn't be the first time there had existed a female burglar, but damn his sense of chivalry, he couldn't deal with her as he thought he would deal with a male burglar. He stretched the bat forward and pushed her shoulder back forcing her to look up at him. He could see only the edge of her face from the lights on the street and he could tell that she now held hand up in a meek defense at the next strike.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, sternly.

"I…I didn't mean to come in this way. I-I'm sorry." She managed through gasps and shots of fresh pain from her ribs.

"Why are you here?!" the man repeated more forcefully.

"I was looking for someone…please…I know this is really weird…I don't want to die." She said, tears forming now.

"Who are you looking for?" the man asked.

"What?" she asked, wondering why the man was suddenly so curious also partially forgetting why she was in here after the ordeal she just had.

"WHO ARE YOU HERE TO FIND?!" the man asked, nearly shouting now.

"Jimmy." She squeaked. There was a small hesitation in the man's voice.

"Jimmy 'who'?" he asked.

"Killian. Jimmy Killian." She completed. The man stood straighter all of a sudden. He backed up a step and extended the bat at Misti.

"Don't you move, you hear me?" he said threateningly. She nodded quickly unaware of what trying to move would feel like with cracked ribs. The man backed up a few steps to the knocked over table and bent down, never taking his eyes off of her. Likewise, her eyes never left him. He pulled out the drawer as best he could and grabbed something from it. From here, Misti couldn't tell what. Suddenly, her eyes felt as through they were on fire and her arm shot to them as she scurried from the light like a scared animal. She cried in pain as he continued to show the light on her. As she peeked once more, the light went off and the man just stood there for a moment without speaking. Misti's eyes now searched her darkness for any sign of any light. There was none to be found.

"Please…please don't kill me." She pleaded, now not even aware of where the man was, but more importantly where the baseball bat was.

"What's your name?" the man asked, abruptly.

"Misti." She said, softly.

"Misti 'what'?" he asked, voice sounding slightly less angry and threatened.

"Davidson." She said, needing to take a moment to remember. Suddenly, she heard the bat clunk as it fell to the wood floor.

"Misti?" the man asked. She didn't respond only tried to look in his general direction.

"Is it really you?" he asked. Suddenly, his voice became familiar. She knew whose apartment she had stumbled into and she thought herself the luckiest person in the world.

"Jimmy?" she asked.

"Oh my God." He said softly. She reached forward and her fingers came to rest on his hair. Her hand was taken and held.

"Jimmy, is that you?" she asked.

"Yeah, Misti. It is." He said sounding like he had just gotten punched in the stomach.

"Wha—you…you were…everyone thought…" Jimmy began. She longed to hug him but he was still a small distance away and she couldn't see. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally hurt him.

"I know…I…I wasn't." she started, just as unsure about how to go about this as Jimmy. He stood and flipped on the lights which didn't really matter now in Misti's case. She had felt him pull away and heard the light switch.

"Oh God." He said noticing her eyes which had gone white with blindness. Her appearance other than that wasn't much better. Currently she was huddled on the floor almost as if she were freezing cold. She wore black hooded sweatshirt that looked slightly worse for the wear and a pair of gray sweatpants that weren't much better. Her feet were bare and dirty and her arms and hands looked like they had blood on them. He gaped, but Misti knew that he had not even noticed the worst part. He waved his hand near her face to see if there was any response…there wasn't.

"Misti…are-are you blind?" he asked.

"I-I don't know what I am." She said unsteadily.

"W-Why do you have blood on you?" he asked.

"Jimmy, it's such a long story. For tonight, all I can say is that I haven't done anything you'd blame me for…and I need you to believe me." She said, new tears flowing.

"I believe you, Mist. Always." He said, full of conviction. She smiled.

"Thank you so much, Jimmy." She said, now not caring whether or not she hurt him throwing herself into his arms. They just sat there for a moment on their knees in the messy hallway trying to make sense of all this. Misti was trying to figure out if this was real or just another pleasant dream. Oddly enough, Jimmy was working on the same task.

"Come on. Let's get you into bed." Jimmy said, beginning to help Misti up. As she began to stand up it felt as if she had been pelted with the bat once more and she crumpled back to the floor groaning loudly.

"Oh God. I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "Let me see."

She lifted up her shirt only slightly and he felt her ribs. Her body jerked suddenly as she shied away.

"Hold still, Misti. I'm taking a first aid class." He said, with a small smile. She did her best to hold still even though she was fairly sure that he was pushing on cracked ribs.

"Feels like you might have some broken ribs." Jimmy said then, confirming her expectations.

"No way." She said sarcastically. Jimmy smiled, but still felt horrible.

"We need to call a doctor." Jimmy said.

"No!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. She knew full well what the doctor would find and that patient privilege wouldn't mean a damn thing after seeing something like that. He looked at her curiously.

"Why not?" he asked. Misti couldn't look him in the eye. She sighed.

"Jimmy, I have to show you something." She said. Her legs wobbled slightly as she stood and Jimmy helped her. He watched as she pulled the hoodie off over her head leaving only the tank top that was underneath. Her fingers trembled as she untied the ropes that held them down. The rope hit the ground by her feet and Jimmy took a small step backwards.

"Oh…m-…my…" he could barely even speak. As her wings spread, they filled the hallway. Her eyes filled with tears once more as his expression was growing more and more impossible to read.

"Jimmy…don't be afraid." She said.

"I…I…" he stuttered. She shook her head as her knees began to quiver.

"It's still just me, Jim." She said, voice cracking.

"I…I know…" he said. He took a cautious step towards her. Then another and another. He came within inches of her and reached a shivering hand toward her wings. The tips of his fingers touched them ever so gently and she just stood there and let him. It felt no different than the tiny web of skin between fingers. He snuck behind her and looked at where the came directly off her backbone and touched where they attached to find that this could be no trick. He marveled at them for far longer than he intended to before he realized that Misti must be trying to read him for some kind of response.

"Misti…what happened?" he asked, cautiously nearly afraid of what the answer might be.

"I…that day…they took me…" she said, not knowing where to begin.

"Who took you?" he asked.

"I don't know…well, just one, but he's…he's gone." She said softly.

"Who was it?" he asked.

"Kuzimura was the only name I ever heard." She said.

"Why did he do this to you?" Jimmy asked filling with more rage each second.

"I don't know." Misti answered. Jimmy only stood there for a moment and then he shook his head.

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." He said. He led her carefully to the bathroom where he turned on a shower for her. The sound of the thing was one she had not heard in years and the warmth of a real shower would feel good on her skin.

"Okay. Feel this bottle." Jimmy said as he placed a tall bottle with some rough grip spots on it.

"Alright, that's shampoo. Now feel this one." He said, slipping a shorter and squattier bottle into her hand.

"That's the soap. Now here's a washcloth and you can hear where the shower is. If you need anything, I'll be right outside." He said. Misti nodded and made her way carefully to the shower. Slowly but surely she got the hang of finding thing without using her sight and before she knew it the shower was over and she shut the water off. Her hand searched the walls for a towel rack which she promptly found and used one of the giant warm fluffy towels to dry herself. She shook her wings once hard to dry them and the rest of her body was just like normal. Then, she stood there for a moment and realized that she had no clothes.

"Hey Jimmy." She called.

"Yeah?" he replied instantly. He was sitting literally right outside.

"I don't have any other clothes." She said.

"Here, I-I brought you some sweatpants and I made a t-shirt I think you can use. You might have to hang on to your…well…go ahead and keep…wear your underwear until tomorrow." He said, trying to go about it delicately.

"Okay." She said.

"Alright. Here you go." Jimmy said reaching one arm inside the door and handing the clothes through. Before long, Misti found his outstretched hand full of clothes and took them. She found her old panties and bra and put them on. She then proceeded to put the sweatpants on and slipped her wings through the holes Jimmy had cut for her. She walked out of the bathroom using the towel to dry her hair. Jimmy stood from the bed.

"Aw, jeez Mist. Your shoulder..." he said, voice mixing fear and pity.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry...I..." she started.

"Hey. Don't worry about it. Stay right there." he said. She heard his run into the bathroom behind her and rummage through the cabinet.

"Ah! Here they are." he exclaimed. "Okay, now hold still."

"What are you doing?" she asked, fighting every urge not to shy away from him just as she had every time she heard that sentence for three and a half years.

"I'm just patching you up here so you don't get blood in my bed." he joked. With a soft touch, he quickly had the Ace bandage wrapped around her arm and ready to protect her from infection.

"How was the shower?" he asked, intently as he finished.

"Wonderful Jimmy. Thanks." She said.

"Well, listen. You'll sleep in my bed tonight and in the morning I'm gonna make you a big good breakfast and we can talk." He said, gently guiding her to his room with one hand holding hers and an arm around her shoulders.

"Thank you so much, Jimmy." She said, just enjoying his gentle touch versus the rough grabs and jerks she was used to.

"You got it, Mist. You always got me." He said as they reached his room. The wood floor was soothing on her aching feet and the soft bed was like heaven to her. The instant her head touched the pillow she was nearly asleep. That was why she barely reacted when Jimmy leaned down and kissed her forehead. He didn't say anything…and neither did she. He walked slowly out of the room and left the door open just a crack. Just enough. Within two minutes, Misti was sound asleep.

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**Hope you all liked the little flashback! If you have any questions or suggestions just leave a review or message me! Thanks for reading! Please Review!**


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